Wrapper folding device



Feb. 25, 1930. H. H. WHEELER WRA-BPER FOLDING DEVICE v Filed May 22}1928 INVENfOR ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES. PATENTOFFICE HENRY H. WHEELER, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONALCIGAR'MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY WRAPIBER FOLDINGDEVICE Application filed May 22, 1928. Serial No. 279,630.

This invention relates to an improvement in'a wrapper folding device, aprincipal object being to neatly fold the overhanging flaps of a wrapperover the ends of the wrapped article. Another object is to produce adevice of this nature which will cooperate with a cigar envelopingmachine of the type having a turret in the pockets of which partiallyenveloped cigars are supported, to fold the overhan ing flaps of theenvelops over the ends of t e cigars. Other objects are to produce sucha device which is simple and rugged in construction, effective inoperation and which is readily adaptable to fold Wrappers on articlesdiffering considerably in length and cross sectional shape. With theseand other objects not specifically set forth in view, the inventionconsists in certain constructions and combinations which will behereinafter fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In general, the improved device consists of a star shaped wheel havingas many star points as the package has sides which, with its axisperpendicular to and with its inside face in line with the end of thearticle being wrapped, is placed at such a distance from the packagethat one of the star points overlaps the corresponding wrapper flap.Upon '30 establishingsuch relationby either moving the wheel or thepackage into operating position, the wheel is revolved as a whole aboutthe article being wrapped, the star wheel at the same time turning onits axis as itis rolled around at the end of the package, so that eachpoint of the star in turn engages with the successive flaps ofthewrapper, folding them down over the end of the package.

In the accompanying drawings in which 9 the application of the starwheel folding principle to the blunt end of a cigar envelop is shown: v

Fig. 1 is a to view of a cigar envelop folding device em odying theinvention, shown partly in section;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, with the supporting bracketomitted;

Figs. 3 to 8 are perspective views showing 2 the successive stages ofthe folding operation, as seen from line 33 of Fig; 1; and

Figs. 9 and 10 show diagrammatically the shapes and operating positionsof star wheels used for a rectangular and hexagonal package,respectively.

In carrying the invention into effect, there is provided means forsupporting a partially folding the unfolded end of the envelop comprisea star wheel and means for causing said star wheel to successivelyengage sections of the unfolded end. The means above referred to may bewidely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for theparticular machine selected to illustrate the invention is-but one ofmany possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is notto be restricted to the precise details of the structure shown anddescribed.

Referrinlg cigar and to Figs. 1 and 2, 0 indicates a its envelop, asheld in the intermittently rotated turret 11 of a cigar envelopingmachine by a spring actuated clamp 12 rotating with the turret which ismounted on the 'sleeve13 surrounding the main shaft 14 of the machine,in the direction of the arrow. The star wheel 15 and fast to it thegear16, is loosely mounted on a stud 17 which is clamped by a bolt 18 in anarm 19, the latter being clamped by a bolt 20 to a sleeve 21 turning ona shaft '22. The shaft 22 is stationarily held in a bracket 23 securedto the rails 24: carried by a bracket-25 attached to the frame 26 of theenveloping machine. The sleeve 21 is journalled in the bracket 25 andturns in a bearing 27 in which it is held against axial movement withrelation to the bracket b K bearing 2 bein rails 24 by the p itsflange28 and a nut 29, the

removably attached to the te 30 clamped to them from veloped. Keyed tothe sleeve 21 and held in place by the bracket 25, is a pinion 32 whichmeshes with an interrupted gear 33 on the shaft 14:. On the stationaryshaft 22 is mounted a gear wheel 34 meshing with the gear 16 on the starwheel 15.

The shaft 14 is preferably driven through suitable driving connectionsfrom the same main drive as the turret 11, and is thereby driven totimedrelation to said turret so that the star wheel willbe operatedafter the turret arm has brought the partially enveloped articles intothe range of action of the star Wheel.

In Fig. 3, the relative position of the cigar C and the star wheel 15corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2, is shown in perspective as seen fromline 33 of Fig. 1. When the cigar C arrives in its uppermost position onthe turret 11, the envelop E engages one point of the star wheel 15,thereby folding one side flap of the same (Fig. 4). At the same time,the first tooth of the interrupted gear 33 comes into engagement withthe pinion 32, thereby turning the arm 19 around the cigar in thedirection of the arrow, the stationary gear 34 causing the gear 16 andstar wheel 15 to turn on the stud 17. After a quarter turn of the arm19, Fig. 5, in the uppermost position on the star wheel 15, the top flapof the envelop is folded down; after a half turn of the arm 19 iscompleted (Fig. 6), the other side flap is folded; and upon a furtherquarter turn in the position of the star wheel shown in Fig. 7, thebottom flap is folded up, thereby 'ving Eihe foiled cigar end theappearance sho n in The shape and size of the star wheel depends uponthe shape and size of the package to be wrapped. If the end of thepackageis square, the star wheel has four equal points as shown in Figs.3 to 8,- the width of each being substantially equal to the side of thesquare package. For a rectangular package, a four point star such asshown in Fig. 9 is used, which has two wide and two narrow pointsalternately placed corresponding to the long and short sides of thepackage R. Similarly, as illustrated in Fig. 10, for a hexagonal orother polygonal package H, a six point or a corresponding multi pointstar wheel is used, with similar or alternate dissimilar points,according to the requirements of the package.

In Figs. 9 and 10, the dotted lines indicate the orbits of the starwheel centers, and the arrows show the directions of the star wheelsmotion about their own axis,

Since the stud 17 is removably clamped to the arm 19, diflerent starwheels may readily be substituted for folding the envelopes over articleends of differing shapes by merely removing stud 17 and substitutinganother star wheelthereon;

What is claimed is: I

. 1. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded end of its envelop overhanging an end of thearticle, of a star wheel folding device, and means including interuptinggearing for producing a relative orbital movement of said support andsaid device to cause said device to successively fold sections of theoverhanging part of the envelop on'the end of the article.

2. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded endof its envelop overhanging an end of thearticle, of a star wheel folding device, and means includinginterrupting gearing for producing a relative orbital movement of saidsupport and said device to cause said device to successively foldsections of the overhanging part of the envelop on the end of thearticle, said supporting means including means for successively bringingpartially enveloped articles into the range of action of said device. 13. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded end of its envelop overhanging an end of thearticle, of a star wheel folding device, and means includinginterrupting gearing for producing a relative movement of said supportand said device to cause said device to successively fold sections ofthe overhanging part of the envelop on the end of the article, saidsupporting means including a turret provided with a plurality of clampsfor successively bringing partially enveloped articles into the range ofaction of said device.

.4..The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded end of its envelop overhanging an end of thearticle, of a star wheel folding device, and means includinginterrupting gearing for producing a relative orbital movement of saidsupport and said device to cause said device to successively foldsections of the overhanging part of the envelop on the end of thearticle, said device being of a size and form which is predetermined inaccordarticle.

5. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded end of its envelop overhanging an end of theaticle, of a folding device, and means including interrupting gearingfor producing a relative movement of said support and said device tocause said device to successively fold sections of the overhanging partof the envelop on the end of the article, said device including astarwheel and means for rotating said starwheel on its own axis.

. 6. The combination with means for supance with the size and form ofthe enveloped porting a. partially enveloped article with an unfoldedend of its envelop overhanging an end of the article, of a star wheelfolding device, and means including interrupting gearing for producing arelative orbital movement of saidsupport and said device to cause saiddevice to successively fold sections of the overhanging part of theenvelop on the end of the article, said movement producing meansincluding means for roducing an orbital movement ofsaid devlce about theunfolded end of the envelop.

7. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedarticle with an unfolded end of itsenvelop overhanging an end of thearticle, of a star wheel folding device, and means includinginterrupting gear.- ing for producing a relative movement of saidsupport and said device to cause said device to successively foldsections of the over- I hanging part of the envelop on the end of thearticle, said movement producing means including means for producing anorbital movement of said device about the unfolded end of the envelop,and said device including gearing for rotating it on its own axis duringits orbital movement.

8. Means for folding an unfolded end of an envelop overhanging an end ofan article, comprising a st-arwheel, and means for causing saidstarwheel to intermittently travel around and successively engagesections of said unfolded end.

9. Means for folding an unfolded end of an envelop overhanging an end ofan article, comprising a starwheel, means for causing said starwheel tointermittently travel around and successively engage sections of saidunfolded end, and means for causing said starwheel to rotate on its ownaxis during its travel.

10. The combination with a folding device, of a gear fast to saiddevice, a stationary gear meshing with the device gear, and means forcausing said device to intermittently travel around said stationarygear.

11. The combination with a folding device, of a gear fast to saiddevicela stationary gear meshing with the device gear. and interruptedgearing for causing said device to pcriodically travel around saidstationary gear.

12. The combination with a folding device, of a gear fast to saiddevice. a stationary gear meshing with the device gear, an arm suportingsaid device and its gear, a member concentric with the axis of saidstationary gear and to which said arm is fast, and inter rupted gearingfor periodically rotating said member.

r 13. The combination with means for supporting a partially envelopedpolygonal article having unfolded flaps overhanging one end of thearticle from each side thereof, of an intermittently moving foldingdevice, and means for producing a relative movement of said support andsaid device to successively osition said device adjacent the o tersurace of each of said flaps and simult neously therewith to cause saiddevice to successively fold each adjacent flap on the end of thearticle.

14. Means for folding an end of an' envelop surroimding a polygonalarticle and having unfolded flaps overhanging the end of the articlefrom each side thereof, comprising a star wheel having a folding pointfor each of said flapsand means for producing a relative movement ofsaid support and said star wheel to cause each point to successivelyfold one of said flaps on the end of the article.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY H. WHEELER.

